Your Xbox One is NOT backwards compatible — don’t try the Devkit hack

If you do not yet own an Xbox One (or PS4 for that matter), then you may have not yet heard that neither console is backwards compatible. In other words, those previous generation games are now just pretty little reminders of a bygone era. Put them on the shelf next to your ZIP drive and your collection of floppy disks. However, there has been a recent buzz around the internet that the Xbox One has the capability, but that it’s simply not enabled by default.

The story goes a bit further than hinting about hidden powers, it lists step-by-step instructions to unlock them — you will be Arthur, pulling Excalibur from the rock. Except what you will likely really be is just one very sad person who is out $500. The Devkit hack only serves as a chance to turn your beautiful new console into a 17-pound doorstop. Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, better known to most as Major Nelson, has taken to the social web, via his Twitter account, to warn users. “To be clear there is no way to make your Xbox One backwards compatible & performing steps to attempt this could make your console inoperable”, Hryb states today.

To be clear, Devkit itself is very real, but it does not bring magic to your new console. The temptation of making all of your old games new again may be hard to resist, but try, for your own good. You’re likely messing with things that would plunge most customers well out of their depth.